Gate-latch.



D. LOUDENSLAGER.

GATE LATCH.

APPLICATION 1"}ILED JULY24,1913.

1,992,728. Patented Apr. 7, 1914 Q 6 4 l 74 W g" L /7 l Z l /4 Z6 24 7 2 /6 /6 23 1720/0 9 A;

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DAVID LOUDENSLAGER, 0F RISING CITY, NEBRASKA.

GATE-LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 24, 1913.

Patented Apr. 7, 1914. Serial No. 780,926.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DAVID LOUDENSLAGER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Rising City, in the county of Butler and State of Nebraska, have invented a new and Improved Gate-Latch, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a gate latch of that type in which the latch member is mounted on a gate post in such a manner that a catch of suitable device On the gate itself will, in closing, strike the latch and cause the latter to yield to permit the catch to pass to a position where the latch will automatically grip the catch and hold the gate closed.

The invention has for its general objects to improve and simplify the construction of latch devices of the class referred to so as to be reliable and efficient in use, comparatively inexpensive to manufacture and install and easily manipulated.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a novel, simple and effective latch releasing'device mounted on the gate in such a manner that the latch can be released by a person riding on a horse or in a vehicle.

With these objects in view, and others as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully. described hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of the invention, and wherein similar reference characters are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a side view of a gate with portions in section to show the details of construction; and Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, A designates a gate of any desired construction which is mounted by hinges l to swing on a post 2. The opposite end of the gate is adapted to lie, when in closed position, in operative relation with a latch-carrying post 3. On this post 3 is a spring latch 4 which has its lower end 5 securely fastened to the bottom portion of the post, and the spring extends upwardly and outwardly therefrom toward the gate. The upper portion of the spring latch passes through an eye 6 of a bolt 7 which extends through the post 3, such eye forming a retainer for holding the spring in position. The opening of the eye 6 is large enough, however, to permit the spring latch to move toward and from the post 3 in the latching and unlatching of the gate. On the spring latch 4: is a strike or keeper 8 of approximately C-shape construction, and in the opening 9 of the keeper a catch 10 011 the gate A is adapted'to engage when the gate is in closed position. This catch 10 is in the form of a rod vertically disposed and has horizontally-extending threaded members 11 which pass through the stile 12 of the gate, there being nuts 13 which can be adjusted to move the catch 10 inwardly or outwardly. The latch retainer 6 can also be adjusted inwardly or outwardly in the setting of these parts or to compensate for sagging of the gate and latch posts. Furthermore, the catch 10 being in the form of a vertical bar will allow of considerable sag and still be operative with respect to the latch. The upper end of the latch 1 has a knob or handle it whereby a person can grasp the latch to move the same toward the post 3 in releasing the keeper 9 from the catch 10. The gate can now be swung open, but in the closing of the gate the latch 4- can be released and the gate swung closed, which will result in the automatic latching of the gate, since the catch 10 will strike the nearest inclined member 15 of the keeper 8 and slip along such member as the latch springs inwardly, and as soon as the catch 10 passes off the inclined member the latch will spring outwardly and grip the catch 10 between the members 15 of the keeper 8.

It will be understood that the gate is selflatching in swinging closed from either side.

In order to enable the latch 4 to be released by a rider without dismounting, a releasing device B is mounted on the gate. This device consists of a horizontally slidable element 16 movable in a guide opening 17 in the stile 12 and guide 18 on the gate. This member 16 is provided with a keeperengaging head 19 which has a vertical recess 20, so as to accommodate the catch 10 when the member 16 is moved laterally in a direction to engage the keeper 8 and force the spring latch 4 toward the post 3. When the head 19 has its flanges or projections 21 projecting beyond the catch 10 the latch will be retracted to such a position that the free ends of the members 15 of the keeper 8 will be out of line with the catch 10, so that the gate can be swung open. The head 19 is held retracted in the position shown in Fig. l by a spring 22 interposed between the inner side of the gate stile 12 and a collar 23 on the element 16. On the gate is a vertically-disposed rotatable actuating shaft 24 having at its upper end a convenient actuating means 25 and at its lower end a crank 26 which is connected by an extensible link 27 with the element 16. By turning the shaft 24 the latchreleasing head is thrown outwardly from the gate against the compression of the spring 22, and while the head is held outwardly by pressure being maintained on the actuator 25, the gate is moved open a suflicient distance to carry the catch 10 of the gate beyond the latch. The actuator can now be released and the gate thrown completely open to permit a rider or driver to pass through the gateway.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and method of operation will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while have described the principle of operation, together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative, and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

Copies of this patent may be obtained for latch extends, and a strike keeper mounted on the latch and having strike members in V clined toward each other anddisposed in'the' path of the catch as the gate swings closed andcooperating to form a recess for receiving the catch when the gate is in closed position. a a 2; The combination of a gate, a catch outstanding therefrom, a latch releasing device carried by the gate and disposed between the side thereof and the catch and having portions that are projectable beyond the catch, a post, and a spring latch mounted on thepost and havingastrike'device in a 1 position to engage the catch and releasable from the catch by engagement of the projecting portions of the said releasing device with the latch, said latch having a portion projecting beyond the strike device to form-' a handle for releasing the latch independently of the said releasing device.

3. The combination of a gate, a catch mounted on the free endof the gate and outstanding therefrom, a laterally movable member havinga recessto accommodate said catch, yielding means for holding the mem-' ber retracted, asprlng catch havlng a keeper provided with inclined strike members with which the portions of the said member at oppositesides ofthe recess are adapted to q engage for releasing the strike members from the catch, and means connected with the laterally-movable member and mounted on the gate for actuating such member against the tension of thespring.

In testimony whereof I have si'gnedimy five cents each, by addressing the dommis sioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

DAVID LOUDENSLAGEB. T 

